Summary of student projects for a course on wearables and Internet of Things taught in Spring of 2015 at Art Center College of Design, Media Design Practices MFA program

1. Seams &
Superpowers
Spring 2015 Lab Inquiry Project
Phil van Allen
Media Design Practices, Art Center College of Design
Microsoft Design Expo

2. The studio explored how ecologies formed by wearables and
the Internet of Things create superpowers for people,
overcoming their contextual and temporary disabilities. It also
looked at how interactions with wearables form an important
seam between people and their digital life, and how seamless
or seamful these interactions should be.
Seams &
Superpowers

3. Student Projects
Seams &
Superpowers

4. • • • • • • • • •
Experience the sensorial environment
of a another, a lot or a little
CO-PRESENSE
Nick Meehan, Kristen Schlott, Shan Shen

5. • • • • • • • • • CO-PRESENSE
Nick Meehan, Kristen Schlott, Shan Shen
Experience the sensorial environment
of a another, a lot or a little

6. • • • • • • • • •
Create a bespoke ensemble of gestural
clothing, and accessories
APP COUTURE
Giselle Gou, Zhihan Ying

7. • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Shop for context sensitive clothing, snap your
finger to get a sketch-board in the air
APP COUTURE
Giselle Gou, Zhihan Ying

8. • • • • • • • • •
Off grid social network for mass
protests and movements
INTRAVOICE
Elaine Cheung

9. • • • • • • • • • CUE
Gordon Choi Faith Oftadeh
Indirectly indicate the mood of a group with
subtle personal accessories

10. • • • • • • • • •
Indirectly indicate the mood of a group with
subtle personal accessories
CUE
Gordon Choi Faith Oftadeh

11. • • • • • • • • •
Crowdsource personal decision making
with in-person gestures
PNS
Jay Hong

12. • • • • • • • • •
Gamify getting out and being social
through hidden pocket gestures
POCKET
Nan Wang

13. • • • • • • • • • HEELING
Qing YI LI
Control your world subtly with
peripheral gestures

14. • • • • • • • • • • • • • HEELING
Qing YI LI
Control your world surreptitiously with
peripheral gestures

15. • • • • • • • • •
Reinvent the sense of smell by
replacing your nose
RADICAL SENSING
Selwa Sweidan

16. • • • • • • • • • • • • •
reinvent the sense of smell by
replacing your nose
RADICAL SENSING
Selwa Sweidan

17. • • • • • • • • • PORTABLE PRIVACY DEVICE
Shixie Xiangjun
Make yourself anonymous in public and
be a troll, protest, be honest

18. Project Themes
Seams &
Superpowers

19. Seams
• subtle gestures
• using commonly touched parts of body
• require less attention, can become more habitual
• public and private seams for interacting with and listening to devices
• subtle signaling to yourself
Devices
• multiple devices/multiple locations on the body
• movement, light, haptics as output instead of screen
• personally designate tasks/contexts to different devices
• virtual screens
Gestures
• peripheral gestures - not the locus of attention
• feet, tie, belt, head, pocket, nose, armband
• gestures versus interfaces
Social
• use in protests, crowds
• use in group - e.g. classroom, biz meeting, family context
• sub-verbal communications (pockets, CUE, Heeling)